Air conditioning unit



June 16, 1964 J. A. PIETSCH AIR CONDITIONING UNIT Filed March 1, 1963 JOSEPH A. mew-sen HIS ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,137,226 AIR CONDITIONING UNIT Joseph A. Pietsch, Louisville, Ky., assignor to General Electric Company, New York, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed Mar. 1, 1963, Ser. No. 262,169 r 2 Claims. (Cl. 98--94) The present invention relates to air conditioning units and is more particularly concerned with an improved air conditioning unit of the type adapted to be easily and quickly installed in or removed from the window of a room to be conditioned.

In general, air conditioning units of the. window mounted type include a housing enclosing the usual components of a refrigerating system such as the compressor, heat exchangers and fans. The housing is of a size such that the air conditioning unit can be mounted in various size window openings of a given type. Means generally known as filler panels are provided for bridging the space or spaces between the sides of the unit and the sides of the window frame.

The present invention is concerned with a window mounted room air conditioner of the type in which these filler panels form an integral part of the unit housing.

It is a primary object of the present invention to provide an air conditioning unit including a housing and slide ing means for bridging the spaces between the housing and the sides of a Window frame, ,the components of the housing being so constructed and arranged as to provide a simple and low cost arrangement for slidably supporting the filler panels. 1

Further objects and advantages of the invention will become'apparent as the following description proceeds and the features of novelty which characterize the invention will be pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of the specification.

adapted to be supported on the sill of the window and in turn to support the evaporator component of a refrigerating system in the indoor section of the housing and the compressor and condenser components of the refrigerating system in the outdoor section. Suitable fan means are also provided in each section for the circulating air through the respective sections. In addition to the base pan, the housing includes a first structural member forming a vertically extending partition dividing the indoor and outdoor sections and also forming the adjacent side walls of the indoor section of the housing. The housing further includes a second structural member forming the opposite side walls and the outer or end wall of the outdoor section of the housing. The second structural member is supported on the base pan with the vertical edges of the side wall portions thereof spaced from the first structural memher to define therewith opposed vertically extending slots on opposite sides of the housing. The lower edge of the partition is reverse bent to form a channel in the plane of the slots and a closure or filler panel is received in each of the slots and is slidably supported by the channel in such a manner that the panels are adapted to be extended to bridge the portions of the window opening between the air conditioning unit and the sides of the window. In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the outdoor section of the unit also includes a top wall which has its inner or window engaging edge portion bent upwardly and then inwardly to form a shoulder engaging the inner edge of the window when it is closed upon the housing and an to a generally U-shaped horizontal configuration forms.

inwardly extending flange overlying the upper edge of the partition. The upwardly extending or shoulder portion of this member is spaced from the partition to form a channel for receiving the upper edges of the filler panels.

For a better understanding of the invention reference may be had to the accompanying drawing in which:

FIGURE 1 is a'view of an air conditioning unit of the present invention mounted in a window of the double hung type; and

FIGURE 2 is a perspective, view of a portion of the unit housing of FIGURE 1 illustrating certain detailed constructions thereof.

Referring to FIGURE 1 of the drawing, there is shown a self-contained or window mounted room air conditioner including a housing 1 adapted to be supported on the inner sill 2 of a window of the double hung type including a lower sash 3. The housing 1 includes an inner section 4 which extends into the room and which houses the usual evaporator (not shown) and a fan means cooling the room air. The housing also includes an outer section 5 extending outside of the room and designed to house the usual condenser, compressor and outdoor fan components of a refrigerating system.

The housing 1 of the air conditioning unit includes a base pan 6 forming the bottom wall of both the indoor.

tion 8 being to retain condensate flowing from the evap-- orator contained within the indoor section 4 of the housing and. to dispose of this condensate by any suitable means provided in the outdoor section 5 of the housing.

A structural member 11 of sheet metal or the like bent the dividing wall or partition 12 between the indoor and outdoor sections 4 and 5 as Wellas the opposite side walls 14 of the indoor section 4. A louvered face panel 16 and a louvered top panel or wall 17 completetheindoor section of the housing and respectively provide air inlet and air outlet means for the circulation of air from the room through the indoor section of the housing.

A second structural member also bent to generally U-shaped configuration forms the opposed side walls 18 and the end wall 19 of the outer section 5 of the unit and is supported on the base pan 6 by means of flange portions 20 extending along the lower edge of the side and end walls 18 and 19.

The vertical edges of the sidewalls 18, which may be provided with strengthening flanges 23, are spaced a short distance from the adjacent portions of the partition 12 to provide vertical slots 24 on opposite sides of the housing 1. The slots are designed to receive sliding filler panels 25 adapted to bridge the spaces between the sides of the housing 1 and the sides of the window frame when the unit is mounted in the window opening.

As a low cost and simple means for slidably supporting these panels 25 between the partition 12 and the inner edges of the side walls 18, the lower edge of the partition 12 is bent outwardly and upwardly to form a channel 26 adapted to receive the lower edges 27 of the filler panels 25 and guide the panels as they are moved laterally or transversely of the housing to fit windows of various widths. The upper edges 28 of the panels are preferably slidably received in a space provided between the outer surface of partition 12 and a ledge portion provided on the top wall 30 of the outer section 5. To this end, the top wall 30, which is supported on the structural member forming the side and end walls of the outer section 5, is provided along its inner or window edge with an upwardly extending shoulder portion 31 adapted to engage the inner surface of the window sash 3 when the sash is closed on the unit and an inwardly or horizontally extending flange portion 32 adapted to overlie and be welded or otherwise secured to a similar flange portion 33 on the partition 12. The upwardly extending shoulder portion 31 is spaced from'the partition 12 a distance suflicient to receive the upper edges of the filler panels 28;

' By this construction, the three principal structural members forming respectively the inner section side walls 14 and the partition 12, the outer section side walls 18 and end wall 19 and the top wall 30 also provide the means for defining the panel receiving slots 24 and the tracks or channels for supporting the upper and lower edges 27 and 28 of the panels 25.

If desired, the outer edges of the panels 25 may be provided with flanges 35 for overlying and engaging the sides of the window framewhen the panels are in their extended positions while stops 36 struck from the panels 25 may be provided for limiting the extending movement of the panels 25, these stops 36 being designed to engage the flanges 23 provided on the side walls 18 of the unit housing. Also, if desired, one or more projections 38 struck from the pan 6 may be provided for engaging the shoulder 37 forming part of the inner sill 2 of the window to aid in positioning the unit with reference to the sill and window sash during mounting thereof in the window. The gap between the sill 2 and the filler 25 is filled by an additional seal strip 39. v p l From the above description it will be seen that there has been provided a relatively low cost and lightweight housing for a window mounted air conditioner including sirnple and eifectivemeans for sealing a space of variable width between the housing and the sides of the window frame when the unit is mounted in'a window opening.

While there has been shown and described what is believed to be the preferred embodiment of the present inprising an indoor section and an outdoor section and adapted to be mounted in the window of a room to be conditioned, said housing including a base pan forming the bottom wall of both sections of said housing, said base pan being adapted to be supported and positioned on the sill of said window. said housing including a vertically extending partition separating said indoor and outdoor sections, means for supporting said partition on said pan, a structural member forming the opposite side walls and the end wall of said outdoor section of said housing, said structural member being supported on said pan with the vertical edges of said structural member spaced from said partitionto define therewith opposed vertically extending slots on opposite sides of said housing, said lower edge of said partition being reverse bent to form a channel in the plane of said slots, a filler panel received in each of said slots and slidably supported by said channel and adapted to be extended to bridge the portions of the window opening between said unit and the sides of said window.

2. An air conditioning unit including a housing comprising an indoor section and anoutdoor section and adapted to be mounted in the window of a room to be conditioned, said housing including a base pan forming the bottom wall of both sections of said housing, said base part being adapted to be supported and positioned on the sill of said window, said housing including a vertically exvention, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that Patent of the United States is:

1. An air conditioning unit including a housing comtending partition dividing said housing into'an indoor section and an outdoor section, means for supporting said partition on said pan, the lower edge of said partition being reverse bent to'forrn a channel, closure panels having upper and lower edges, said panels respectively extending from opposite sides of said housing and having their lower edges slidably supported by said channel and adapted to be extended to bridge the portions of the window opening between said unit and the sides of said window, said outdoor section including a top wall having an edge portion thereof adjacent said partition spaced from said partition to form a recess for slidably receiving said upper edges of said panels.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

1. AN AIR CONDITIONING UNIT INCLUDING A HOUSING COMPRISING AN INDOOR SECTION AND AN OUTDOOR SECTION AND ADAPTED TO BE MOUNTED IN THE WINDOW OF A ROOM TO BE CONDITIONED, SAID HOUSING INCLUDING A BASE PAN FORMING THE BOTTOM WALL OF BOTH SECTIONS OF SAID HOUSING, SAID BASE PAN BEING ADAPTED TO BE SUPPORTED AND POSITIONED ON THE SILL OF SAID WINDOW, SAID HOUSING INCLUDING A VERTICALLY EXTENDING PARTITION SEPARATING SAID INDOOR AND OUTDOOR SECTIONS, MEANS FOR SUPPORTING SAID PARTITION ON SAID PAN, A STRUCTURAL MEMBER FORMING THE OPPOSITE SIDE WALLS AND THE END WALL OF SAID OUTDOOR SECTION OF SAID HOUSING, SAID STRUCTURAL MEMBER BEING SUPPORTED ON SAID PAN WITH THE VERTICAL EDGES OF SAID STRUCTURAL MEMBER SPACED FROM SAID PARTITION TO DEFINE THEREWITH OPPOSED VERTICALLY EXTENDING SLOTS ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF SAID HOUSING, SAID LOWER EDGE OF SAID PARTITION BEING REVERSE BENT TO FORM A CHANNEL IN THE PLANE OF SAID SLOTS, A FILLER PANEL RECEIVED IN EACH OF SAID SLOTS AND SLIDABLY SUPPORTED BY SAID CHANNEL AND ADAPTED TO BE EXTENDED TO BRIDGE THE PORTIONS OF THE WINDOW OPENING BETWEEN SAID UNIT AND THE SIDES OF SAID WINDOW. 